US technology giant Cisco announced today that it will invest more than USD 10 billion in China in coming years to help the country "innovate and globalise".
	Cisco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planning agency, to expand investment in China focusing on areas of innovation, equity investment, research and development and job creation, the company said in a statement.
	The company, which entered China in 1994, also inked an MOU with an association of universities of applied science to train information and communications technology talent, it said.
	The initiatives are worth in excess of $10 billion in total, which will be spent over the "next several years", the company said.
	Cisco's routers, servers and switching systems are key units of global interconnectivity and help power the Internet.
	"We look forward to furthering our digitisation efforts, contributing to talent development and GDP ..

Cisco to invest USD 10 billion in China

PTI Automatic

About 20 senior executives from Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been detained by investigators for alleged corruption after investigations this year, state media reported today.
	The ruling Communist party's disciplinary body said it targeted 26 SOEs in a round of investigations that began late February, the state-run China Daily reported.
	"Around 20 senior managers from these SOEs have been held on corruption charges," the paper said.
	The move comes as China attempts to push wide-ranging reform of its sprawling SOEs, seen by many as an inefficient drag on economic growth.
	It quoted Li Wusi, the chief inspector into China National Petroleum Corp, as saying that corruption in some areas was "rampant".
	"Some corrupt officials still get promoted, some executives give projects to their relatives and friends, and some are guilty of misconduct involving overseas investments," Li said, according to the report.
	"Problems such as using public funds to pay for personal tourism, 

China graft probe nets about 20 state-owned firm execs: media

China has banned civil servants, students and teachers in its mainly Muslim Xinjiang region from fasting during Ramadan and ordered restaurants to stay open, official websites showed as the holy month began today.
	Most Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk during the month but China's ruling Communist party is officially atheist and for years has restricted the practice in Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uighur minority.
	"Food service workplaces will operate normal hours during Ramadan," said a notice posted last week on the website of the state Food and Drug Administration in Xinjiang's Jinghe county.
	Officials in the region's Bole county were told: "During Ramadan do not engage in fasting, vigils or other religious activities," according to a local government website report of a meeting this week.
	Uighur rights groups say China's restrictions on Islam in Xinjiang have added to ethnic tensions in the region, where clashes have killed hundreds in recent years.
	China .

China restricts Ramadan fasting in far western region

Some animals from the flooded Tbilisi zoo might still be at large, zookeepers warned today, after an escaped tiger mauled a man to death in the Georgian capital and had to be shot.
	"Several animals may possibly be on the loose, but we need to complete a thorough inventory of dead and survived animals to know for sure," zoo spokeswoman Mzia Sharashidze told AFP.
	The flash flood at the weekend tore through central districts of Tbilisi, wrecking the zoo and killing 19 people including three zoo workers.
	More than half of the zoo's 600 animals either drowned in the muddy waters or were later killed by police.
	Lions, tigers, bears and a hippo were seen roaming the flooded streets in the wake of the disaster and were either shot dead or recaptured and returned to their enclosures.
	Yesterday, a white tiger that escaped from the zoo mauled a man to death in central Tbilisi before being shot dead by police.
	The tiger attack came just two days after Georgian Prime Minister Irakli ...

Some Tbilisi zoo animals 'may still be on the loose'

US climate change skeptics and deniers said today that Pope Francis was wrong to urge action against global warming because continuing to burn cheap fossil fuels could actually help the poor.
	The reactions to Pope Francis' encyclical on climate change ranged from anger to polite disagreement, with US Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush saying he respects the Catholic leader but prefers to make decisions about the environment in the political realm.
	"Look, the climate is changing," Bush said at a campaign event in Iowa, according to CNN.
	"I believe there are technological solutions for just about everything. And I'm sure there's one for this as well. So I respect the Pope, I think he's an incredible leader, but I think it's better to solve this problem in the political realm."
	Bush, who announced his candidacy for US president on Monday, is Catholic but said religion would not guide his leadership on climate change.
	"I don't go to mass for economic policy or for things in ..

US climate skeptics say Pope wrong, poor need cheap fuel

Two Argentine businessmen wanted on US charges of bribing FIFA officials have surrendered, the justice ministry said today.
     Father and son marketing executives Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, the owners of sports marketing company Full Play, are among the 14 football officials and marketing executives indicted by the United States in a sweeping investigation into corruption at the heart of world football's governing body.
     The pair appeared early today before a federal judge in Buenos Aires, the ministry said. They will remain in detention while the US request for their extradition is considered.
     Argentine sports marketing executive Alejandro Burzaco turned himself in to police in Italy last week.
     Full Play held the TV rights to the South American World Cup qualifying matches and is accused of bribing FIFA officials for multi-million-dollar contracts.
     The company also co-owns the broadcast rights to the Copa America, the South American football championship currently .

Argentine suspects in FIFA scandal surrender

Ukraine's parliament today fired the powerful head of the SBU state security service after he fell foul of President Petro Poroshenko and became embroiled in a conflict with the nation's chief prosecutor.
	"The Verkhovna Rada (parliament) supported my proposal to dismiss Valentyn Nalyvaychenko from his post as head of the SBU," Poroshenko tweeted after 248 lawmakers in the 450-seat chamber supported the president's formal request.
	His dismissal highlights the fractured nature of Ukraine's politics and its continued reliance on clan-style alliances and battles that critics say drain attention from far more pressing concerns.
	Ukraine's State Security Service enjoys sweeping arrest and domestic surveillance rights it inherited from the domestic branch of the Soviet-era KGB.
	The 49-year-old Nalyvaychenko was appointed three months before Poroshenko's May 2014 election and was never seen as particularly close to the Western-backed head of state.
	He also headed the SBU in 2006-2010 and .

Ukraine parliament fires powerful security chief

Spain's Princess Cristina and her husband have sold their Barcelona mansion, reportedly worth nearly seven million euros (USD 8 million), in a fraud scandal that has embarrassed the monarchy, a court said today.
	Cristina, sister of King Felipe VI, and her husband the former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, were forced to sell the house to pay a court bond for their liability in the case.
	They paid a 2.4 million-euro instalment of the bond today, having raised cash by selling off the house, the court on the island of Majorca said in a statement.
	Spanish newspapers said the couple were paid 6.9 million euros for the big modern house with its swimming pool and 2,000 square metres (21,500 square feet) of land.
	Cristina, 49, has been ordered to stand trial for allegedly taking part in tax evasion by Urdangarin. He himself is accused of embezzling six million euros in public funds.
	They have both denied the charges.
	Cristina is the first member of the Spanish royal family in .

Spain princess sells villa in fraud scandal

Malaysia today insisted it was committed to completing the hunt for missing flight MH370 despite not renewing its contract with one of three search vessels scanning the Indian Ocean seabed.
	The Australian-led operation had said previously that Malaysia would not renew its contract with the high-tech ship GO Phoenix once the search goes into hiatus in coming weeks due to the onset of the southern hemisphere winter, and it would exit the search.
	That has spurred speculation online that Malaysia's commitment to the frustrating effort was flagging.
	But Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai said today his government remained committed to finish scouring an additional 60,000 square kilometres added to the search parameters in April.
	"To reiterate, Malaysia remains committed to continuing the search for the additional 60,000 square kilometres," he said in a statement emailed to media.
	The statement, however, did not say why the GO Phoenix contract was not being renewed.
	But it said ...

Malaysia says committed to MH370 hunt despite ship pull-out

Sri Lanka's opener Kaushal Silva frustrated Pakistan with an unbeaten 80 when the rain-hit first Test finally got underway on the scheduled second day in Galle today.
     Veteran Kumar Sangakkara chipped in with 50 to leave the hosts on 178 for three at stumps after Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq elected to field first on an easy-paced pitch.
     After inclement weather had washed out the entire first day's play on Wednesday, just 64 overs were bowled on the second day after a wet outfield delayed the start by two hours at the Galle International Stadium.
     Left-handed Dimuth Karunaratne scored 21 in an opening stand of 30 with Silva when he was dismissed by left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz in the 13th over of the innings.
     Karunaratne attempted to pull a short ball, but only managed to edge a catch to wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed to provide the tourists a much-needed breakthrough.
     Silva and Sangakkara teamed up to add 112 runs for the second wicket, batting through the ...

Silva, Sangakkara defy Pakistan in first Test

Toyota's highest-ranking female executive was arrested at a Tokyo hotel today for allegedly importing a painkiller that is illegal under Japan's strict drug laws, reports said today.
	The charges against American Julie Hamp came after customs agents last week found 57 tablets containing oxycodone in a parcel sent to her, according to reports by the Asahi newspaper and public broadcaster NHK.
	Hamp, 55, said she did not believe she was committing a crime, the reports said.
	Police and Toyota both declined to comment today.
	Hamp was promoted to head of communications for the auto giant after previously working at Toyota's North American division.
	Japanese drug laws ban some medications commonly available in other countries while jail time for possession of illegal narcotics such as cocaine or methamphetamine is not uncommon.

Japan police arrest US' Toyota exec on drugs-related charges

Afghanistan plans to launch its first online marketplace to allow local businesses to export products directly to world markets, an official said today, the latest effort to boost the country's stalling economy.
	The Afghanistan International Commodity Exchange Market will aim to provide businesses access to international traders online and boost the exports for the landlocked economy that is reliant on trade routes through neighbouring countries.
	"In the past 14 years, Afghanistan has mostly relied on imports. Our traders have had almost no direct access to international buyers. Afghan products are sold through intermediaries," Hassib Rahimi, the executive director of the government-run Kabul Chamber of Commerce told AFP.
	"Because of the political situation the business are stalled and the investors flee the country, but this online market will give direct access to our traders to sell their commodities to the world," he said.
	The USD 20 million funding for the project was ...

Afghanistan to launch online marketplace to boost exports

Hong Kong lawmakers today rejected a Beijing-backed electoral reform package derided as "fake democracy" during mass protests last year, leaving the city in deadlock over how its leader should be chosen.
	The government's electoral roadmap would have given all residents the right to vote for the chief executive for the first time in 2017, but only able to choose from candidates vetted by a Beijing loyalist committee.
	In an unprecedented rebuke, the proposal was voted down by 28 votes to eight, with the majority of pro-government lawmakers walking out of the legislative chamber without casting their ballots as defeat loomed.
	"This result is not what we want to see," Beijing's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said after the vote, which required support from two-thirds of the assembly's 70 lawmakers to pass.
	He added that China wanted to "press ahead with the democratic development of Hong Kong" in the interests of stability and prosperity in the former British colony.
	But analysts 

Hong Kong lawmakers reject 'fake democracy' package

Uncapped Derbyshire left-arm paceman Mark Footitt was the eye-catching selection in England's 14-man squad announced Thursday for a pre-Ashes training camp in Spain.
     The camp, which will take place for four days from June 27, will also provide the England squad, led by Test skipper Alastair Cook, with a chance to meet their new Australian coach, Trevor Bayliss.
     "With Trevor Bayliss arriving in the country next Thursday, Trevor, Alastair and I felt it important that both players and management likely to be involved in the early stages of the Investec Ashes have chance to meet him and fully understand his approach prior to meeting up for the start of the Test series," said director of cricket Andrew Strauss, in an England and Wales Cricket Board statement.
     "With that in mind, we have arranged a preparation camp in Spain," the former Ashes-winning England captain added.
     "This will involve a combination of physical and fielding sessions and planning meetings in an ...

Uncapped Footitt in England's Ashes training squad

Sri Lanka's Kaushal Silva and Kumar Sangakkara closed in on an unbeaten century stand to frustrate Pakistan at the start of the rain-hit first Test in Galle on Thursday.
     The pair put on 93 runs for the second wicket as the hosts carried their lunch score of 40-1 to 123 without further loss by tea on the scheduled second day at the Galle International Stadium.
     Silva was unbeaten on 52 and Sangakkara was on 41 after Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq surprisingly elected to field first on an easy-paced pitch after winning the toss.
     Left-handed Sangakkara, Test cricket's current leading run-getter who is expected to retire during the home series against India in August, has so far hit two boundaries and a six.
     Pakistan could have removed Sangakkara when he was on 24, but Azhar Ali at short-leg spilled a sharp chance off leg-spinner Yasir Shah.
     Silva, looking comfortable against both pace and spin, has eight boundaries to his name in his eighth Test half-century.
     

Silva, Sangakkara build for Sri Lanka

European royals and diplomats gathered in Belgium today to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, a turning point for the continent which still touches a nerve and stirs national passions.
	The stress was on modern-day reconciliation and the sacrifice of some 47,000 dead or wounded soldiers on the fields around the small drab town just south of Brussels, the target of Napoleon's ill-fated drive north in June 1815.
	France and Germany however only sent their ambassadors to a ceremony that attracted kings and dukes from elsewhere in Europe, reflecting that fact that history still runs deep in a corner of the continent scarred by centuries of war.
	Just as two centuries ago when the French emperor faced off against allied forces, it rained overnight and the skies were overcast for the ceremonies, carried live on Belgian television.
	Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called for unity in a "European project" which faces modern-day challenges of conflict on its borders in 

Europe marks Waterloo bicentenary with call for unity

One of the familiar landmarks at London's Lord's Cricket Ground, has been returned to its usual place, with Father Time back in position above the Mound Stand clock, it was announced today.
     The weather vane, which depicts a cloaked figure holding a scythe while bending over a set of stumps, has been part of the scenery at the 'home of cricket' since it was donated by architect Herbert Baker in 1926.
     However, it was damaged by strong winds in March and had to be taken away for repairs.
    	But having featured as an exhibit in the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) museum at Lord's, while awaiting further treatment for copper damage, it has now been returned to its traditional position.
	As 'his' name suggests, Father Time has indeed moved with the times and his return to the Mound Stand was announced via Twitter.
	"Oh yes! I'm back :) #LoveLords"," a Twitter message on the official Lord's feed said.
    	Father Time has previously fallen foul of bad weather more than once.
	He ...

Father Time back on parade at Lord's

The Philippines is testing an app that will speed up delivery of health services to hundreds of remote island communities, the science department said today.
	Using the app, designed for tablets using Google's Android operating system, the health officer of a remote town can upload medical records and clinical information on a patient, which can then be viewed anywhere by doctors and nurses.
	So far, about a hundred tablets preloaded with the locally-developed application have been distributed by the ministry to towns in four islands to test its viability.
	If successful, about 450 remote towns in the archipelago will get their own tablets, with mayors and health officers -- local officials responsible for community medical care -- then better able to track the area's health needs using the data they obtain.
	"This is for communities that are isolated, remote and hard to reach. Its chief advantage is its portability," said Vincent Tablos, the project coordinator for the government's ..

Philippines tests health app for remote islands

Malaysia's navy has located a tanker that disappeared a week ago in the South China Sea and was urging its hijackers to surrender, the country's naval chief said today.
	The MT Orkim Harmony, which had 6,000 tonnes of petrol in its hold and 22 crew aboard, has been given fresh touches of paint and had its name altered to "Kim Harmon", according to photos released by Malaysia's navy.
	A patrol vessel was now shadowing the tanker and communicating with its hijackers in a bid to secure their surrender, Royal Malaysian Navy chief Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar said on his Twitter feed.
	"At least eight perpetrators are onboard. They are armed with pistols and parangs (machetes). They speak with Indonesian accent(s)," he added.
	"All crew are safe and unharmed."
	The vessel was in Vietnamese waters, about 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) northeast of the Malaysian city of Kota Bahru, officials said.
	The Malaysian-registered tanker is the latest victim of increasingly brazen pirates behind ..

Malaysian navy shadows tanker, urges hijackers to give up

An Australian woman who was tattooed after giving birth has been banned from breastfeeding by a judge who ruled it exposed the baby to an unacceptable risk of harm.
	The woman, 20, who was not identified, has lodged an appeal which is due to be heard by the Family Court in Sydney on Friday.
	The Sydney Morning Herald reported today that she had a finger and a foot tattooed in May without telling the tattoo artist she was breastfeeding.
	It prompted the 11-month-old boy's father, who is separated from the mother, to take the toddler to live with him, claiming his former partner had mental health and drug issues.
	The woman petitioned the Federal Circuit Court and in an interim hearing on June 5 it agreed she should have primary care but must not breastfeed due to the risk that she contracted a blood-borne disease when having the tattoos.
	The ruling came despite the woman recording negative results on hepatitis and HIV tests, the report said.
	The Australian Breastfeeding Association ..

Australian banned from breastfeeding over tattoo

A British corporate investigator imprisoned in China for nearly two years has said he was "harassed" for a confession, in a claim immediately denied by the Chinese foreign ministry.
	"I was constantly harassed in prison over signing a thing that they call admission of guilt and a statement of remorse," Peter Humphrey was quoted as saying by The BBC after being deported to Britain yesterday.
	"I never signed those documents because I did not admit to having committed that offence... Therefore they tried to extort the confession by withholding medical attention for my prostate condition," he said.
	Lu Kang, a foreign ministry spokesman, denied Humphrey's claims at a regularly scheduled press briefing in Beijing today.
	"The relevant Chinese authorities carried out their duties in accordance with the law. We have protected his lawful rights and interests," Lu said.
	Humphrey and his wife Yu Yingzeng, a naturalised US citizen, were linked to a corruption case involving pharmaceutical ...

AFP

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